Real Madrid’s Quiet Storm: Perez’s Downbeat Day as Alonso Says Goodbye

Key developments after Xabi Alonso’s departure

Fabrizio Romano, the well-known transfer insider, described Florentino Perez’s reaction to the surprise departure of Xabi Alonso from Real Madrid’s first team as a day that felt sad for the club.

Romano said on his YouTube channel that the club had seen Alonso as the perfect person to inaugurate a new era at Real Madrid, stressing that the project with the Spanish coach aimed to deliver a notable tactical shift.

He added that Alonso’s exit was a real blow to Perez and to the entire leadership, with frustration dominating the club’s offices as officials believed Alonso could reshape the team’s identity and give it renewed energy.

Romano’s remarks come amid a flurry of events at Real Madrid in recent hours, following a 3-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia, a result that preceded the decision to part ways with Alonso by mutual consent.

While the club’s official statement praised Alonso as a club legend, reports — led by AS — claimed the coach himself requested to leave after the final, a move that surprised the administration and forced Perez to face an unforeseen reality.

Further fuel to the mood came from chatter about internal issues, with El Chiringuito suggesting some players displayed lax discipline during training under Alonso, complicating the dressing room atmosphere.

Madrid moved quickly to close the file, appointing Alvaro Arbeloa as the new head coach in a bid to restore stability and reassert discipline.

Punchline 1: If patience were a sport, Perez would have built a trophy cabinet to store it.
Punchline 2: Real Madrid’s next press conference will be so dramatic it might require subtitles in four languages.